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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29830578">online friendships</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/superwholocked_reader/pseuds/superwholocked_reader'>superwholocked_reader</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!, SK8 the Infinity (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Meetings, Gen, Not Beta Read, Online Friendship, probably out of character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:02:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,698</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29830578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/superwholocked_reader/pseuds/superwholocked_reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically, Chinen Miya and Kozume Kenma are gaming buddies and meet up for the first time when Miya's in Tokyo for a competition. Reki, Langa and Kuroo are there, too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chinen Miya &amp; Hasegawa Langa &amp; Kyan Reki, Chinen Miya &amp; Kozume Kenma, implied Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsuro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>202</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>online friendships</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Right, so, I haven't written fanfiction in a hot minute, I know nothing about skateboarding or travelling in Japan and I wrote this in less than a day. All the right ingredients for a disaster.<br/>This is trash. If you know what's good for yourself, don't read it. Don't say I didn't warn you.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you sure this is the right stop?”, Reki asks as he nervously glances around the Tokyo station. </p>
<p>“Yes, I come here regularly. You know that”, Miya answers. He should be annoyed, he figures, but he’s so used to Reki’s antics by now that it feels like second nature to just let it go in one ear, out the other. </p>
<p>It hasn’t been that long since Reki and Langa had basically adopted him, so when they’d heard that he would go to Tokyo for a skating competition, they were all too eager to join him, for ‘moral support’, as Reki called it. </p>
<p>It was easy to convince his parents to let him go with his friends instead of one of them, since they’re seventeen, so basically adults. Miya secretly thinks his parents are glad that they don’t have to rearrange their weekend plans around him for once.</p>
<p>However, having Reki and Langa here with him also opens up another window of opportunity that his parents have so far kept closed. Now, it’s no secret that Miya enjoys video games. And during his lonely years, when his old friends and teammates couldn’t be bothered to spend time with him, Miya turned to other means for friendship, namely the Internet.</p>
<p>He has one friend in particular that he plays games with almost every other day. His name is Kenma and he lives in Tokyo. Since Kenma is three years older than Miya and he’s never actually met him, Miya’s parents have never allowed him to visit Kenma when he’s in Tokyo. Reki and Langa, however, aren’t so cautious when it comes to Internet strangers. Well, it probably doesn’t hurt that Miya hasn’t actually told them that they are going to have dinner with him tonight, either.</p>
<p>“Where even is this ramen shop you were talking about?” Reki’s voice breaks him out of his train of thoughts.</p>
<p>“Just around the corner. I’m sure you’ll like it!” Miya tries to smile encouragingly, but he thinks he might look a bit pained. He’s excited to meet Kenma, but it’s still scary.</p>
<p>“Hey, you okay? You look a bit stressed”, Langa nudges his shoulder and looks down at him.</p>
<p>“Yea, yea, don’t worry”, Miya waves him off. He can see the lights of the restaurant. There’s no turning back now.</p>
<p>Miya steps through the door first, his two friends trailing behind him. He looks around the room, trying to make out the two coloured hair he knows Kenma has.</p>
<p>“Yo! Kenma’s friend!”, a deep voice calls, beckoning him over to a table. The boy is tall, Miya can see that even while he’s sitting. His black hair is unruly and there is a glint in his smirk that Miya can’t decide whether it’s friendly or intimidating. </p>
<p>“My name’s Kuroo. Kenma’s in the bathroom, he’ll probably be back in a minute”, Kuroo explains. </p>
<p>Miya nods and makes to sit down across from him, but a hand on his shoulder stops him.</p>
<p>“Hey, Miya, who’s this?”, Reki asks.</p>
<p>“His name’s Kuroo. We’re having dinner with him”, Miya says, trying to sound nonchalant. His voice probably comes out a bit pressed, though. </p>
<p>“Okay? Why?”, Reki sounds almost as confused as Langa looks.</p>
<p>Miya sighs. </p>
<p>“He’s friends with a friend of mine who should be joining us soon. Did I not tell you?”</p>
<p>“Must have slipped your mind”, Reki squints his eyes a bit, but he ultimately lets go of Miya’s shoulder and sits down next to him, which leaves the head of the table for Langa.</p>
<p>“So, Kuroo, how old are you? What do you do?”, Reki probes, but his eyes are already on the menu in front of him.</p>
<p>“I’m seventeen, I’m a third year in high school and captain of my volleyball team. I also consider looking after Kenma my full time jo-“, he cuts himself off with a yelp. Kenma has come up behind him and jabbed him in the ribs.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to take care of me, I’m not a baby”, he says. He sounds pretty monotonous, but Miya thinks he can detect a hint of annoyance in his voice.</p>
<p>Miya straightens and smiles at Kenma carefully. </p>
<p>“Hi”, he says. He tries to seem chill, but he’s wringing his hands together underneath the table. He only stops when Reki pokes him in the side, making him flinch and glare at him.</p>
<p>“Hi, Miya. Good to finally meet you.” Kenma plops down next to Kuroo and smiles at Miya. </p>
<p>A waiter comes over to take their orders and the conversations turns from awkward to slightly less awkward to, eventually, comfortable banter, as the boys around the table get used to each other. 

When they’ve all finished eating, Kenma asks: “So, you said you’re here for a competition, right? Any chance we might get to watch?”</p>
<p>“Sure, it’s outdoors, anyway. But only if we get to see you play, too”, Miya grins.</p>
<p>“I’m sure that can be arranged. We have practice almost every day, how about we just head straight to the gym after you win tomorrow?”</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>The competition is an easy win for Miya. He’s not trying to sound arrogant, but he’s used to competing against older and more experienced skaters, and he clearly practices more than the other thirteen and fourteen year olds he was up against. He finds his friends when he’s done and Kenma and Kuroo look at him in awe. </p>
<p>“That was awesome!”, Kuroo exclaims and boxes his shoulder.</p>
<p>“It was. I knew you were good, but to actually see it was really impressive”, Kenma adds with a smile. </p>
<p>Miya grins and hugs his board to his chest. Reki and Langa beam down at him like proud parents.</p>
<p>“You should see him in a race someday”, Langa says.</p>
<p>“By the way”, Reki interjects, “do we have to ride the train to your gym or can we take our boards?”</p>
<p>“It’s in a walking distance, so your boards should be fine”, Kuroo says. “Just make sure you don’t lose us and get lost.”</p>
<p>Before he can finish his sentence, the three boys are already on their skateboards and riding circles around him and Kenma. </p>
<p>Kenma sighs and starts walking. Kuroo grabs his hand so he doesn’t crash into a lamp post – he’s already staring at his phone, some kind of game demanding his attention.</p>
<p>Reki, Langa and Miya follow them to Nekoma High School, occasionally getting ahead of them and having to circle back. They walk in comfortable silence, until they reach the gym. The skater boys finish their journey with jumps and tricks before getting off their boards. </p>
<p>“That was sick!”, a boy with blond hair shouts from the open changing room door.</p>
<p>“Thanks, man!”, Reki calls back. </p>
<p>“You can just wait in the gym while we get changed”, Kuroo says and opens the doors for them.</p>
<p>Their coaches and a few teammates are already inside and look at the three strangers curiously.</p>
<p>“Who’s that? Not spies from another team I hope?”, the younger of the coaches asks.</p>
<p>“Nah, they’re friends of Kenma’s”, Kuroo grins.</p>
<p>“Kenma has friends outside of volleyball?”, a tall silver haired boy asks with raised eyebrows. That gains him a kick in the legs from a much shorter brunet.</p>
<p>“Don’t be rude, especially to you’re senpais!”, he shouts. </p>
<p>“Well”, the older coach relents. “As long as everyone concentrates on practice, I guess they can stay.”</p>
<p>Everyone does manage to keep their head in the game and Miya, Reki and Langa are impressed by the obvious skill and discipline the team shows.</p>
<p>As soon as the last whistle is blown, however, they are surrounded by sweaty, excited volleyball players who bombard them with questions. Their voices overlap and Miya can barely make out any sentences. </p>
<p>“Will you all shut up?”, Kenma interrupts his team’s chatter. “Miya is an online friend of mine, they’re from Okinawa and they’re here for a skateboarding competition. Now stop crowding them.”</p>
<p>“Okinawa? Isn’t that a bit far away to come here just for a competition?”, someone asks.</p>
<p>“Miya’s a candidate for the national team!”, Reki proudly exclaims. “Nowhere is too far for him.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Reki, but I can speak for myself”, Miya rolls his eyes, but he has to suppress a smile. “Anyway, what he said.”</p>
<p>“Woah, I didn’t even know there was a national team for skateboarding”, the silver haired Nekoma player says.</p>
<p>“Of course there is”, Miya says. This has always been a bit of a touchy subject for him. “Skatebording is just as serious of a sport as volleyball is.”</p>
<p>“Alright, we should probably head back to the hotel soon”, Reki comes to his rescue. “It was nice meeting you all, but Miya has to go to bed.”</p>
<p>Alright, scratch that part about rescuing.</p>
<p>“I’m thirteen, I don’t have a bed time”, he grumbles. He would like to get out of the crowd of people, though, so he lets Langa pull him out of the gym.</p>
<p>Kenma and Kuroo follow them and Kuroo sends the other boys to the changing room.</p>
<p>“Hey, I really enjoyed finally hanging out in real life”, Miya says to Kenma. </p>
<p>Kenma smiles and nods. “Yes, you should call me next time you fly up here. Maybe you can meet Shouyou then.”</p>
<p>“Sure, I’d love to”, Miya grins. “Well, I hate to agree with Reki, but we do have a flight to catch in the morning, so we should get back to the hotel. We’ll talk on discord soon, okay?”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>Miya hesitates for a second, but then he surges forward and engulfs Kenma in a quick hug. It’s over almost as soon as it started, but he can feel Kenma put a hand on his back before he steps back. </p>
<p>“Well, then. Goodnight!” Miya shoots his friend one last grin, jumps on his board and rolls away, not waiting for Reki and Langa.</p>
<p>“Hey, wait up!”, Reki yells and runs after him.</p>
<p>Langa turns to Kuroo and Kenma again to say goodbye; then he, too, is off on his skateboard. </p>
<p>“Well, I’m glad you like each other without a screen between you”, Kuroo smiles down at Kenma and puts a hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Yea, me too. Now, let’s get changed.”</p>
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